


Reasons To Buy a Salad

by Marluna



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Boys In Love, Fluff, I had intended for Dowoon to show up but he didn't :(, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pining, Shopping Malls, sorry drummer boi i still love u
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24230476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marluna/pseuds/Marluna
Summary: In this essay, Jae will explain the six reasons people should go to the salad shop in the mall.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K & Park Jaehyung | Jae, Kim Wonpil/Park Jaehyung | Jae
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	Reasons To Buy a Salad

Jaehyung is sitting in Gravity Shoes' break room. Younghyun joins him, so it's just Sungjin outside. Which is fine. It's the slow time of day anyways, and Sungjin can manage. Younghyun is only on his 10 minute break, so he'll be going back soon.

"Dude, are you on a diet or something?" Younghyun asks the bespectacled man. Jae has a salad in front of him on the table. "I swear you've been eating salad for like, a straight two weeks now," Younghyun adds.

"I'm not on a diet," Jae responds, not looking up from his YouTube video. "I just... have a thing for salad, I guess." He takes another bite of the all vegetable salad. Younghyun recognizes the logo on the plastic bowl all too well. 

"You told me there was no way you were ever going to go to Orgreenic when it first opened," Younghyun reminds the blond man. Jae glances up for a quick second at this.

"Well, I was wrong about it. Salad is actually really tasty," Jae says. He says this, but his bowl is hardly touched and he's halfway through his lunch break by now. 

"Really? Because before, you told me it was plain and boring and kinda gross."

"Things change."

"Like what?"

Jae turns his phone screen off, a black replacing the colorful display of Jae's rainbow DIY slime video. "I'm glad you asked. In this essay, I will be-"

"You've got..." Younghyun checks the time on his own phone. "8 minutes before Sungjin comes barging in."

Jae lets out a dramatic sigh and rolls his eyes.

Reason One:

__

_It's pretty._

The shop is pretty, and so is the salad. Some people might just see salad as a blur of green and red and purple and think it's nothing special. Some people might see Orgreenic as just any other food place. Jae thinks the shop is pretty, with its green tiled floors that make it look kind of like a garden, and it's tables that look like radishes cut to look like roses. It has clean, pure white walls with not a stain on them, no doubt thanks to the hard working cashier. The place is always spotless.

_Sounds like a lack of business to me._

_Shut up, Younghyun._

Anyways, it's got menus that look like flowers, and it always smells fresh and faintly like honey. Their fridge where they keep the drinks even looks like honeycomb! They have fairy lights that are shaped like bees, and they're happy bees. They smile just as brightly as the cashier does.

_You know I've been there before, right?_

_And?_

_And! You're giving it way too much credit!_

The store is nice. But the cashier... Well, he's alright. He's got a nice smile, that much is true. The only people that think otherwise are the people in denial and the people that obviously don't know what pretty is. He's also got these really big, slightly crossed eyes. They're actually a little nice, and Jae kinda likes when the cashier looks into his eyes. His lips aren't too plump, but they aren't too thin either. Just right, kinda. And they're really nice and pink and... do you think he wears lipstick or some kind of lip tint? They always look soft, he must use chapstick. Probably strawberry flavored.

Anyways, he also has really nice hair. It's black (most of the time) and really fluffy. Some days it's kinda curly too, and it looks kinda nice on him. He's kinda tan too. His skin is always really nice looking and very smooth looking. Jae thinks it's a really nice feeling when he hands the cashier a 20, and the cashier has to give him change and their hands brush against each other. His hands are smaller than Jae's, and really soft. Jae thinks they would probably fit nicely with his own hands and-

_Ooooh, I get it now. This was never about Orgreenic! This has been about Wonpil!_

_I- No! This is **not** about Wonpil! I said he's just alright!_

_Oh man, you totally think Wonpil is super pretty._

_Am I wrong though? I mean- Never mind, forget I said anything._

Reason Two:

__

_It has a nice name._

You understand, right? Salad. Rolls off the tongue nicely. 

Hey Wonpil! Can I get a chicken _salad_ today? Thanks, bye Wonpil! 

Hello again, Wonpil. I'll get whatever _salad_ you recommend today. 

So which one do you like, Wonpil? Oh, okay, then I'l try the Rose Radish one. I trust you, Wonpil. 

_You didn't even say salad that time!_

_Uh, yes I did._

_You did not. And why do you remember Wonpil's favorite salad!?_

_Um... Get your ears checked? Anyways..._

You know, it kinda just sounds nice ordering things. Salad. Asking Wonpil for a salad. Asking Wonpil what kind of salad he likes. Hearing how Wonpil's day was. 

_Wonpil's day has nothing to do with ordering salad._

_Um, he works at a place that specializes in salads soo... yeah it does?_

Reason Three:

__

_It makes pretty sounds._

Ugh, the crunch on your fork piercing crisp lettuce. The crunch of carrots when you chew them. The crunch, crunch of salad in general! 

And of course, Orgreenic sounds nice too. They always play the hits. The music is broadcasted through speakers right from Wonpil's phone. And Wonpil has great taste in music. Jae's taste is better, of course. But Wonpil's is bearable. And he doesn't play it too loud or too quietly either. He plays it just right. Just right so that Jae hears Wonpil's "Good afternoon, welcome in! What can I get for you?" and his little giggles whenever Jae tells a stupid joke. Just right so Jae can hear about Wonpil's stressful classes and mall run ins with people he knows. Just right so Jae can try to guess Wonpil's major again for the 100th time. 

_Sounds like you like the sound of Wonpil's voice more than you like the sound of salad._

_That's not true!_

_What do you like about the sound of salad again?_

_... Moooving on..._

Reason Four:

__

_It's close and convenient._

Orgreenic is very close to Gravity Shoes. It's actually right across from it, making it the closest eatery to Gravity Shoes. Therefore, why wouldn't Jae want to go there? He can maximize his break time by going to the closest available place. It helps that Orgreenic isn't the busiest spot.

Plus! Having to look at the other store all day, Jae gets curious about it. What do they have today? How will it taste?

_You weren't very curious about the place back when it was an antique store._

_I'm pretty sure I was. But what would I do with antiques, really?_

_Well the matter at hand here is that you're not interested in the salad. You're interested in Wonpil._

_Bzzt! Wrong! And this is my essay, Bri, hush._

_You have 5 minutes left._

Anyways, there are a lot of benefits to going to Orgreenic. Firstly, it's healthy. Secondly, it's right outside their own store. Thirdly, Jae gets tempted by seeing the food across the street all day. He works at a shoe store. It's not like on his break he can just get food from his own shop. Because they don't sell food, other than those really cheap lollipops that are more meant for fans of the Gravity Shoes brand. Not only is Jae not allowed to or tempted to eat them, but they wouldn't fill him up. Plus, if he walks across the way, he gets at least a little exercise, right?

_Oh yeah, and you get to see a cute boy too._

_Stop interrupting me!_

_Sungjin has caught you staring at Wonpil more times than he can count on both fingers._

Reason Five:

__

_It's sweet._

Sweeter than honey. The dressing they put on their salad is good. It isn't always sweet, sometimes it's cheeky. But it's always attractive.

The dressing Orgreenic usually uses makes the salad taste a little sweeter, it gives the salad a pretty sparkle. Although, Jae thinks the salad always looks beautiful, even if he would never say it out loud. Because compliments make the salad smile _(prettily)_ cheekily at him, and make the salad tell him to say more nice things. And Jae isn't one for inflating others' egos, especially when they're already plenty aware of just how amazing and wonderful and pretty and funny and smart and cute an-

_Okay, now this is just blatantly about Wonpil!_

_How?_

_Because salads can't be funny and smart! Nor can they ask you to compliment them._

_I dunno, salad does some pretty funny things to your brain._

And it's just really warm and bright and amazing. It has a way of making Jae feel at home, even though he's still at work. And yeah, his job isn't the worst. But that doesn't mean he doesn't get tired of it. But seeing Wonpil smile- Uh, that is, the salad shimmering, Jae feels energized. This definitely has nothing to do with Wonpil's silly smile that's too bright. Brighter than the sun, even.

"Okay, and that's it?" Younghyun asks. Jae, who had at some point started to lean back in his chair, nodded.

"That's it. The store is nice and so is salad. Before you ask, no, Wonpil is not a reason to buy a salad everyday. Do I look like a simp to you?" Jae responds. Younghyun pretends to think about it.

"Mm... All things considered... Yeah, you do," Younghyun says. He laughs when Jae sits up straight and pretends to be offended, letting out a fake gasp that's definitely a little dramatized.

Younghyun opens his mouth to say something else. But instead, the sound of the break room door opening fills the room. The two men turn to see Sungjin in the doorway. "Younghyun, it's time for you to come back to work," Sungjin tells him. Younghyun checks his phone again, and sure enough, 10 minutes has passed.

Younghyun sighs, stretches, and stands up. He grins as he pats Jae's shoulder. "Good luck with your salad, Jae." Jae just hums and goes back to his YouTube video. He still has 5 minutes of his break left and he's certainly not letting those last few minutes go to waste.

It is probably worth noting that later that day, Jae obtains a sixth reason to go to Orgreenic. That being... it tastes like strawberry chapstick.

As Jae is closing up Gravity Shoes (alone, Younghyun and Sungjin ditched him), he hears the sound of huffing a few feet away. He turns his head to the source of the sound. Low and behold, Kim Wonpil and what looks like a really heavy set of pans from the department store on the other side of the mall. Jae is quick to help the other man, walking (rushing) over. "Do you need help?" he asks.

Wonpil looks up, and he looks a little reluctant to give an answer. Ultimately, it's him dropping the box of pans and the loud sound of clanging that earns the duo annoyed glares and curious stares that make him say yes. Wonpil and Jae are lucky in that the employee parking lot is near their stores. Jae figures Wonpil decided to cut through the mall to get to his car, as opposed to travelling around the rather large buidling.

Jae is able to carry the pans with some ease. They're heavy, yes, but Jae doesn't have as much trouble as Wonpil when it comes to carrying them. Jae tries to ignore the way his heart swells when Wonpil beams at him gratefully. "Thank you, Jae!" Wonpil says, cheerful as always. So it's not just a customer service thing.

"Well, I mean, I'm just trying to be a decent person. I mean, when you're dropping your pans everywhere helplessly, what else am I to do?" Jae asks. Wonpil hums as they start walking to the employee parking lot.

"Probably ignore me? Like everyone else?" Wonpil answers. Jae is doing all the work now. Wonpil doesn't seem to have bought anything else.

"Is being a good samaritan really that rare these days?" Jae asks. He realizes he could have just said something simpler. Something like _There are really that many assholes out there?_ He doesn't know why he used such fancy terms that no one uses these days, but he does. Wonpil doesn't seem to mind.

"To be fair, if I didn't know you were a total dork, I would have turned you down. Strangers are scary," Wonpil answers without much thought.

"I- I'm a dork?" 

"In a really cute way," Wonpil assures him.

"... Did you just call me cute?" Jae asks, shocked. Wonpil laughs, it's probably the most genuinely happy laugh Jae has ever heard in his life.

"You are! At first, your staring was kind of weird. But you're harmless, really," Wonpil says. "Now I'm starting to think that you either have a hard time making decisions ooor..."

"Or?"

"Or you really like me," Wonpil says, a teasing glint in his eyes that Jae just barely catches. He's more focused on, holy shit, Wonpil knows. Wonpil knows Jae has a bad habit of accidentally staring at him and he knows that Jae probably likes him. He's a little scared, honestly. So much so he stops in his tracks for a second as they reach the exit. Wonpil's smile grows somehow as he opens the door for Jae. Just when Jae thought it couldn't get any bigger. "So that's it! You do like me!"

"Well, I- Let's not get ahead of ourselves-"

"You at least think I'm cute."

"I think you're full of yourself."

"I think you like it. And I think that's good, because I think I like you too."

"You're awfully bold."

"You're just slow. I've been waiting for you to ask me out for a while now," Wonpil says.

"That's- presumptuous of you," Jae says.

"So you won't ask me out?"

"I never said that."

"Then do it," Wonpil says as they reach his car. It's got a cute bumper sticker on it, of a pink rabbit giving a thumbs up.

Jae clicks his tongue. "You're so bossy," Jae replies. Wonpil pops his trunk and opens in for Jae, who really can't do anything but hold the box and stall. Because knowing that Wonpil likes him too doesn't make it any easier to ask him out. "Why can't you ask me out?" he adds as he puts the box of pans in Wonpil's car. He closes the trunk, makes sure it's closed all the way.

"I did the confessing, Jae, you can't expect me to do all the work."

Jae inhales. "That's fair," he says. Wonpil looks at him expectantly. "Then, Wonpil. Are you free... this Saturday?"

"I am," Wonpil answers with a nod.

"Around 1 PM? Maybe we can... have a picnic on the beach. I know a nice spot where it'd be just us two and maybe some people that like to walk along the shore. But we wouldn't even notice them because we'd be too busy being madly in love with each other?"

"That's presumptuous of you."

"Um. What? Is that a... yes? We can go somewhere else-" Jae starts to worry. He thought the idea was pretty cute but- Oh gosh, Wonpil is laughing now and-

"I'm just teasing you. I love the idea, Jae. I'm free all day Saturday."

" _Oh._ Oh. Okay, good. Yeah. So am I."

Wonpil giggles again, he does that a lot, Jae realizes. "This is what I mean by you're a dork," Wonpil says. "Thank you for helping me carry those pans. As a reward... hm... I guess you can have this." Jae is expecting Wonpil to reach into his pocket or something. Instead, he grabs Jae's cheeks and pulls him down and pecks his lips. It's a very quick encounter, barely there, but Jae feels like he's been set on fire. In a good way. He can still barely taste the artificial strawberry, and usually it would be nothing to write home about. But now, he kinda feels like he could get additcted to the taste.

Wonpil smiles shyly and steps back. "You can have this too," he adds. This time, he opens his car door. He pulls out a small notebook and a pen and writes something down. He tears the page out. It's Wonpil's phone number. "You'll stop by Orgreenic tomorrow too, right?" Wonpil asks.

Jae nods. "Yeah, I will. Probably. Maybe." They both know that what he really means is _yes, definitely_.


End file.
